In her room, Lu Qingran sat motionless at the desk, her mind replaying the recent dreams and everything that had happened lately. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, wide with disbelief.
“The weather is scorching, there’s drought, war, tens of thousands of people fleeing in chaos… this… this is… a famine? How could it be?” she muttered to herself.
After a moment, she regained her composure and thought inwardly: Of course! If crossing worlds is possible, why wouldn’t natural disasters and famine be possible too?
Yan Zihao’s voice entering the room didn’t catch her attention at first.
When she finally looked up, he gently called out, “Qingran?”
“Huh? You’re back? Have you eaten breakfast?” she asked, turning toward him.
“Not yet! Mother said you seemed distracted, so I came to check. Were you thinking about last night’s dream? What did you dream about? You can tell me,” Yan Zihao asked.
“Yes, I think I mostly understand now. After you finish your work today, let’s have a proper talk,” Lu Qingran replied.
Originally, she had hesitated about whether to reveal everything to Yan Zihao, but now she felt it was necessary. If the famine was real, telling him about the space would certainly make things much easier.
“All right,” Yan Zihao replied.
Having said that, Lu Qingran felt a weight lift off her chest. She then noticed voices coming from the courtyard and asked curiously,
“Do we have guests?”
“Yes. Father invited the village chief, Uncle Zhong, and Shunzi for breakfast, to taste the food you made,” Yan Zihao explained.
“Oh! Let’s go! You should eat quickly too. It’s hot, so you and Second Brother should leave early and return early,” she said.
“Yes! Don’t worry. While you’re at home, don’t overthink things. I’m here—I’ll protect all of you,” Yan Zihao reassured her.
“Okay, got it,” Lu Qingran said with a gentle smile, her fondness for Yan Zihao deepening.
In the courtyard, Lu Chengfu couldn’t stop praising the dishes Lu Qingran had made. Learning that they were made from pig offal, he was utterly amazed.
“Second child, you’re not lying, are you? This is made from pig offal?” Lu Chengfu asked.
Lu Zhong added, “Village Chief, it’s hard to believe. I felt the same the first time I tried it. The aroma doesn’t resemble that stuff at all.”
“Indeed, Qingran is really skilled. Second child, your family is fortunate. With just this skill, your life here will not be poor,” Lu Chengfu said.
“Yes, yes,” Father Yan nodded repeatedly.
When Yan Zihao and Lu Qingran came out, Lu Chengfu complimented her again. Yan Zihao’s face was full of pride, making Mother Yan smile quietly.
After breakfast, Yan Zihao and Yan Ziyi took the large pot of pig offal to the town.
Many of their pig offal customers were repeat buyers, so Yan Zihao and Yan Ziyi returned around the same time every day. The Yan family only had lunch together when they returned.
After lunch, and a short half-hour rest, Yan Zihao and Yan Ziyi went to help the Lu Zhong family draw water and irrigate their fields.
Most villagers now didn’t dare rest; they worked from dawn until dusk. A few lazier ones pretended to work, irrigating only a few times a day—the first among them being Yan Laosan from the old Yan household. Of course, this had nothing to do with Yan Zihao and the others.
The Yan family’s dinners were now very hearty. For example, today’s meal consisted of mixed brown and polished rice, a dish of braised pork, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, cold bamboo shoots, and scrambled eggs—all in generous portions. The family was no longer pale and thin. The twins, Yan Silang and Yan Xiaowu, had plump, round faces and big eyes, looking irresistibly cute.
Lu Qingran and Yan Zihao had agreed to have a serious talk tonight. After finishing their meal, they went back to their room. Mother Yan quietly watched, feeling very pleased.
Sitting across from each other, Lu Qingran spoke first:
“Yan Zihao, what I’m about to tell you may seem unbelievable, but please listen carefully. If you can’t accept it, then please let me go.
“My name is Lu Qingran, but I am not the original Lu Qingran of this world. I come from a world different from yours. There, there are tall buildings, advanced electronics, rooms with lights and electricity—completely different from here.
“The Lu Qingran of this world died because she refused to marry by proxy. I, due to an accidental car crash, traveled into her body and then married you.”
After saying this, Lu Qingran looked at Yan Zihao and asked, “Yan Zihao, having heard all this, what do you have to say?”
Yan Zihao shook his head and held her hand. “I don’t know what the original Lu Qingran was like, and it doesn’t matter. The one I married is you. The one I like is you. No matter where you came from, I just want to ask—will you ever leave me? Will you suddenly return to your world?”
“No. That world’s me is already dead,” Lu Qingran replied.
Yan Zihao said, “Then it’s fine. Qingran, thank you for telling me.”
He hugged her, and for the first time outside of sleep, Lu Qingran returned his embrace.
Feeling his arms around her waist, Yan Zihao’s eyes filled with joy. “Qingran, you like me too, right?” he asked.
As a modern woman, if she had feelings, she had feelings. There was no reason to hide them. Lu Qingran nodded: “Yes, I like you.”
She continued, “Since I arrived, I’ve had three strange dreams. In them, the weather is scorching, the plants are withered, and many people are walking along the roads in tattered clothes, sweating profusely. Children are crying everywhere.
“Last night, I had the same dream, but there were also people dressed differently killing others, and the ground was covered in blood.
“Based on the current situation here, I suspect it’s drought and war, and in my dream, I saw the common people fleeing.”
“Fleeing?” Yan Zihao exclaimed.
“Yes, fleeing. This is probably a warning from heaven. Whether it affects Lu Jia Village or not, we must prepare. If anything goes wrong, we need to leave quickly.”
In an instant, Yan Zihao said, “All right. Tomorrow we start preparations. Whether drought or war, we need food. Let’s buy extra supplies.” He paused, then added, “No, we can’t buy too much. It will be hard to carry on a famine journey.”
Lu Qingran said, “This is the third thing I need to tell you. When I came here, my house from the other world came with me. I call it ‘the space.’ It has lots of food and other supplies and can store things.”
Yan Zihao was both shocked and delighted.
After a long moment, he said, “Qingran, you’re my lucky star, the Yan family’s lucky star. Heaven must have not wanted our family to perish during this disaster year, so it sent you to save us.”
Seeing how easily Yan Zihao accepted these unbelievable matters, Lu Qingran was slightly astonished, but there was no time to dwell.
Lu Qingran said, “If we really have to flee, we need to prepare many things. My space has plenty, but most are items that don’t exist here. Like the candy I gave Xiaowu and the others, the quality of food in my space is much better than here’s. To avoid suspicion, we’ll need to buy some local items as camouflage. Also, we need as many materials as possible to make weapons. When people are hungry and desperate, anything can happen.”
“All right. I understand. Starting tomorrow, we’ll go to town together, and all the money we’ve earned these months will be used for supplies,” Yan Zihao said.
“Good. One more question—what about Father and Mother?” Lu Qingran asked.
Yan Zihao replied, “Don’t tell them about your origin or the space yet. Only when absolutely necessary, make up a story. Just let them know the family has enough food and supplies.”
“Okay! I’ll follow your lead,” Lu Qingran nodded.